One Shots Focused on a Faint Smile
by gunzen
Summary: This is an introductory chapter for a series of one-shots revolving around Teresa. Some of the chapters may be connected, others may not. It depends on how the story flows.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimed!

_I've read a lot of fan-fictions, especially those that tell stories of Teresa. In all of those alternate stories, however, Clare was always a big factor in Teresa's life. So I wondered, and a new world opened up before me. What was Teresa's life like without Clare? This is that (very) short series of tales which tells of Teresa's individual adventures, one page at a time. _

**Begin story:**

Deep in the northern mountains, where snow was never absent from towering peaks, a single figure walked aimlessly among the mountain trails. The golden color of her hair brilliantly reflected the sun's light. The howling of the strong, cold winds caused her cape to fly, moving left, and then right, and sometimes up, then down. The white panorama of the snowy mountains was spread out before her, causing her to stand in contrast with her grey uniform and silver armor. From above, she was but a speck of dust on a pristine field of snowy white.

But the scenery was not on her mind. She was ever unmindful of what was before her. She had, for sometime now, come to know the land. After all, knowing when and where to step was valuable information for her. A warrior by profession, she knew that the land itself could act as a deciding factor in every battle she would fight. But just as she was unmindful of it, so was she, unmindful of the peril hidden in the mountains.

She knew who lived here. She knew he was the most dangerous. Isley, the King of the North. Isley, who like her, had been a warrior of the organization. Now, most importantly, he was the strongest of the three monarchs of the yoma. Isley, whom she wanted to fight and kill, for no other reason than testing her strength. For she was the organization's number 1, the strongest of all warriors, present and past. And Isley had been strongest sometime in that past, surpassed by none other than herself. Isley's death by her hand would serve as confirmation of her strength.

Of course, she did not need that confirmation. All other warriors were leery of her. None wanted to be with her. They all knew that she was much stronger, but they knew not by how much, which was far greater than what they thought. That was... her secret. Should they learn of her secret, they would hunt her as they would an abyssal one. Which was to say, that the organization would leave her alone, unless she became too much of a bother.

As for Isley, killing him would just increase her legend. After all, not one warrior in the organization's history, has managed to kill an abyssal one, much less alone and unaided. And since Isley was the strongest of all, the accolades reaped would earn her recognition beyond legendary. She would be the eternally ideal warrior, talked about for generations, emulated by all, but equalled by none.

There was, just one slight problem...

Isley was hiding, and he was hiding well. Teresa pouted prettily as she petulantly kicked a fist sized rock off the mountain slopes. She could, she supposed, kill off every one of the yoma she had sensed hiding in these mountains. It would definitely draw the king from his throne, but she would be too tired by then to fight back properly.

Grimacing in disgust, the beautiful warrior gave up her chase. She had been here for two weeks, hoping to confront the northern king. As a consequence, she had neglected her duties. This was not to say that she did not do as she was commanded, she just bided her own time for doing things. Orsay, her handler, was definitely not pleased. But even so, there was a limit to how far she could stretch her impertinence. For all of that, she was loyal to the organization, no matter how derisive her thoughts for them were.

Huffily, Teresa jumped down the mountainside. There would be another time. Perhaps, she would be sent to the south, where the third abyssal, Luciella, could be found. One was better than none, after all. She was getting tired of all the petty little fights. Not even the strongest awakened beings could withstand her. She had no one to fight with on equal footing. Not Luciella, not even Riful, but maybe Isley. Hopefully, Isley.

Perhaps she could cause a mountain to fall the next time she came back. Anything that would get his attention. To lure him out. To fight him. To broaden the expanse of her pride as a warrior. It was what she was. Teresa of the Faint Smile, strongest of the warriors and the triumph of the organization. All were proud of her. She would make them, and herself, prouder.

Elsewhere, Orsay looked derisively at the setting sun. Irritated, he spat on the ground for the umpteenth time. Teresa was late again, the bitch.

**Chapter One End-**

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	2. Confusion

_This one shot is particularly long. It could serve as a first chapter for a full blown fic. However, I do not have any ideas after this, so I am keeping it a one shot. If someone wants to turn this into a multi-chapter fic, ask and you shall receive. Of course, you will be writing it, not me._

_Basing this one shot on the fact that Norihiro Yagi has started resurrecting dead warriors. Anyway, this idea has been bugging me. I wrote it down to debug myself._

Confusion

_Miria stood beside Galatea on the ramparts of Rabona's wide walls._ They have been standing there like that for some time now, silently staring at the horizon towards the east, trying to decipher what manner of events could come from that direction. But however keen Miria's vision, or Galatea's sense of yoki, they could neither see, nor feel, anything in particular.

"It seems to be quiet for now", the soft-spoken, warrior-leader of the ghosts, observed.

Galatea's normally composed face suddenly carried a slight frown. Turning slightly to address Miria, she said, "You know, things happen when you say...", her voice faltered, even as she paled.

"What is...", Miria began with concern, when she too, paled, as she felt a spike of yoki so huge, coming from somewhere in the east. "Wh-where was that from?", she asked Galatea falteringly.

The elegant warrior shrugged her tense shoulders. "I would say it is impossible, at this distance, to even sense yoki, but there is nothing there except the organization", she replied, her shoulders tensing again.

"Do you know what it is?", Miria asked, her thoughts whirling, even as she imagined something with a yoki so strong going after them. The thought made her shudder. She clearly remembered how Rigaldo had decimated their ranks 7 years ago. Needless to say that Rigardo's, or even Riful's yoki, was nothing compared to this.

Galatea drew her thoughts in and concentrated on the yoki burst coming from the east. She shuddered at the magnitude of it. She had once felt Priscilla's yoki running free in the south somewhere. This was something halfway near to it, but it was different. "This isn't an awakened being's yoki", she answered Miria's question. "It belongs to a hybrid."

Just as Galatea finished speaking, the yoki suddenly cut-off. The two warriors stood there in stunned silence, turning their heads to the east, then towards each other and back east again, aghast at what they had felt, and fear at what it could be. Suddenly, Galatea's face paled again. "M-Miria... I just felt Priscilla... She... she's heading east."

_She opened her eyes to a stone ceiling she had seen only once before_. That was when she had been made into a warrior. She'd never thought to see it again. Disoriented, she blinked sleepy and confused silver eyes, even as she took in her surroundings and her memories came back in bits and pieces. Soon, shock set in. She remembered. Most important of all, she remembered the child, and the out of control warrior she was fighting. Her shock caused her to lose control for a moment. She remembered having both her forearms cut off, and then disorientation set in, followed by immediate loss of consciousness. But how did she get here? More importantly, where was Clare? It was a few moments later before Teresa realized that her yoki was running out of control. Struggling mightily, she drew it back into herself, little by little, until the raging river of yoki became calm and serene once more. Before she could ponder her situation further, she felt a burst of yoki coming from an awakened being. It was that idiot. What did she do to Clare? Clare. Teresa snapped out of her torpor. Jack-knifing from her sleeping position, she got up from the bed of stone she was lying on, not even noticing the restraints that snapped, as she frantically looked around for her claymore, any claymore, so she could finish what she should have done. Cut off Pricilla's head.

_The whole council, as well as a few handlers, stood staring at the large hole on the bedrock that led to one of the organization's labs_. Rimuto was furiously remonstrating against Dae. "What the hell were you thinking? Did you even think of the consequences?", he raged.

Dae shrugged off Rimuto's impotent fury. Surrounding them were some warriors, shaken and pale with shock, as the huge yoki burst caught them unawares. They weren't even able to react when they saw the blur of a warrior burst out from the very bedrock of the organization and head south at a very furious pace, one that none of them could match. "It was our goal to raise dead number ones", Dae defended himself. "I thought to do the first experiment on our bet specimen. In this case, Teresa of the Faint Smile's body was the most intact. Even with both her hands and head cut off, the wounds were the cleanest, compared to other warriors. Besides, out of all the number ones, she was the best; and if we take into consideration the facial expressions of our warriors here, she is still the best. Also considering the fact that I expected this first test to fail, I would say that the results are really surprising", Dae finished smugly.

"It was supposed to be a _controlled_ experiment", Rimuto shot back through clenched teeth, his fists tightly closed and his body shaking in anger.

Dae looked down his nose at Rimuto. "This is the first experiment of its kind. There's nothing controlled about it", he replied insolently. "We can only watch and look at the results, and go back to experimenting again. We can only achieve perfection through repetitive experimentation and altering factors and variables to work towards our desired results", Dae said lecturingly.

Rimuto clamped his lips together to keep himself from saying anything more. As much as he hated Dae's guts, the man was brilliant; and they needed him at this crucial time.

"_Miria", Galatea was updating their leader as the situation unfolded_. "There is a similar burst of yoki from the east again. It's from the same source. It's heading straight for Priscilla."

Miria frowned. There was no question of her involving herself and the other ghosts in this, whatever it was. It was not her problem. Clearly, the organization had found some way to challenge Priscilla's supremacy. Things did not bode well for the ghosts at all.

Galatea was frowning fiercely. She was missing something. She had failed to analyze the new yoki in detail. She had been so surprised by its strength that she had missed out on something else. Something was missing. Some... thing... Galatea gasped in shock. It couldn't be... Biting her lip, she turned to report her suspicions to Miria, just as she felt three familiar yoki signatures somehow heading towards a collision course with the two titans. One of the yoki signatures, in particular, had caught her attention. Galatea paled again. "The... yoki from the new hybrid is very... familiar", she explained haltingly to the stoic Miria. "It feels like Clare, but it isn't Clare. This one is... purer, for lack of a better word."

Miria stared at Galatea in confusion. "What?"

Galatea waved that off as unimportant. "You should also know that Clare, Cynthia and Uma are heading on an intercept course, putting themselves between Priscilla and that new hybrid, and Clare is way ahead of the two."

Miria's silver eyes widened as her partial confusion turned into outright shock. What the hell was Clare thinking? There was no other recourse. "We need all swords for this. Let's round them up and go!", Miria exclaimed, even as she turned and ran to gather the remaining warriors within the city.

_Clare focused her yoki to aid her in running, faster than she had ever run before_. She had sensed Priscilla's yoki, bursting out so suddenly. But she had definitely felt it. It was of a magnitude that made Riful seem weakest. There was no doubt in her mind that what she felt was Priscilla. Clare was hunting her now. Nothing would get in her way. Grimly, she ran on, determinedly ignoring the shouts of entreaty from Cynthia and Uma, whom she was leaving behind as each step took her closer to the beast who had ruined her life.

_From above, the sun was shining brightly_; _belying an island in chaos below_. Two streaks of grey, one larger than the other, ran towards each other, blasting out rocks, boulders and deeply rooted trees that got in their way. Without stopping, with no words, the two forces collided. The other one, the silver-eyed warrior, was grimly determined to finish and rectify her mistake. The larger, monstrous being, grimaced its lips in hate. The collision sent various things flying in a ridiculously large radius, hinting at the power of both combatants below, none of which has ever been seen in this island before. The two former warriors of the organization paused, letting the dust settle. Even if it were possible to fight without seeing, they refused to do so, knowing that any advantage was crucial to win in this, their last battle.

"I do not know how you are still alive", the monstrous Priscilla spoke emotionlessly, "but there are two of you now, and if I kill you both, then I would have killed you 3 times. 3 times dead is really dead, don't you think?"

Teresa curled her lips sarcastically. "It seems that awakening has turned you insane. I'd like to extend your misery further, but killing you will just be as satisfying."

Priscilla growled, offended by Teresa's words. She had been her idol. She had trained to fight like her, to be like her, to be worthy of her. Being like Teresa of the Faint smile was everything to her. Then came the news that Teresa had killed humans. How could she do that? She was a monster. She was number one. She was supposed to be a shining example to all other warriors. How could she betray that? How could she betray her, Prsicilla, when she was hoping that Teresa would help her kill the yoma. Kill the yoma that killed her mama and papa. Teresa was no better. She killed humans. She was like yoma. She had to die. She did not only betray the organization. But she had also betrayed herself, Priscilla, who had done nothing but try to emulate her.

"_The two of them are fighting!", Galatea shouted to Miria, as they insanely ran towards the titanic battle that was happening somewhere to the south east._ Somewhere behind them were Tabitha, Clarice and Miata, the three falling behind because of Clarice's slow running pace. "We should arrive before anyone else does", she continued. "But with those two yoki signatures flaring like that, I can't see very far anymore. It's like a fog." A very dangerous fog, Galatea concluded to herself.

Soon, both of them reached the edges of the battle. They could clearly see scattered debris marking the terrain of battle in a very, very large circle. Without agreeing to, they paused, stopping just short of the circular marking, aware that if they stepped into that circle, they would be drawn into a battle which neither of them would survive.

Huffing, Galatea scanned around. "Helen, Deneve and someone else... they are arriving."

Miria nodded, moving to intercept the new arrivals, before they did anything foolish, like fight a senseless fight. Miria would have wanted to ask why there was a warrior with the two of them, but she shrugged aside the question for later. There were important, and confusing things going on. Things they did not know about. Which is why she did not want to be here.

Soon after, Clare arrived. Miria expected a struggle with Clare, to stop the warrior from leaping into the fray, but it surprised her when Clare suddenly stopped, her mouth open and eyes wide in amazement. She was mouthing something, silently, stutteringly, as if she could not believe what her eyes were seeing. Pain, joy and tears, became visible in Clare's silver eyes. Miria saw all these, and frowned in confusion. _What was going on?, _she asked herself silently.

In the blink of an eye, Clare vanished and reappeared right in the middle of the scary battle Miria was trying to avoid. "Clare!", Miria protested, in a resigned tone, knowing that nothing she did now would get Clare away from danger. Gritting her teeth, Miria got ready to come to Clare's rescue. She wouldn't place the other ghosts in harm's way, not even for Clare. But she would sacrifice herself if she had to. Those two fighters were just too damned strong!

"_What the fuck are you doing!", Teresa screamed at the short haired warrior who had suddenly stepped in to interfere in her fight._ At least, she assumed the girl was a warrior. She wasn't wearing a warrior's uniform, but she had a claymore. Besides, any human would have to be insane to step in the middle of this fight. There was something strange though. The warrior's yoki felt familiar... Not only did it feel familiar, it was pulling at her. What? This had never happened to her before. Even stranger, the warrior was looking at her with... was that joy and affection?

Clare dodged a sudden attack from Priscilla's tendrils by jumping away. There was really no time to talk here. Priscilla was merciless in her fighting, constantly attacking, only defending when necessary. She was hard put to keep up. Before she could even reply, she suddenly felt Teresa loom close, and got kicked in the abdomen, sending her out of harm's way. She distinctly heard Teresa muttering, "You're a fucking nuisance!"

Miria's eyes widened when she saw Clare flying uncontrollably out of the circle of battle_._ Hastily, she phantomed, to catch the flying Clare and keep her from getting hurt. As she caught Clare in her arms, she looked down and saw a world of pain on Clare's face. There were tears in the girl's eyes.

Galatea struggled to see through the flare of huge yoki which emanated from the two combatants, one of them an awakened being, one of them, a warrior so monstrous that there was not much difference between her and the yoma she was fighting. In her periphery, she noticed other high ranking hybrid warriors arriving in scattered batches. Like her party, those arriving kept their distance from the actual fight. From time to time, some of the warriors would glance at them curiously, but no one approached them, the battle in front of them consuming most of their attention and curiosity.

"_Where is Clare?", Teresa snarled at Priscilla, golden eyes gleaming, as they both met at the middle of the field with a titanic blow, sending pieces of scarred turf flying every which way._

Priscilla bent her head to the side, curiosity in her expression, even as she exchanged sword swings and claw swipes with her erstwhile opponent. "Who is Clare? Is she another murderer like you?", Priscilla asked, her interest perked.

Angered, Teresa released more of her yoki. She knew how much she had to draw to be on an even footing. She wasn't even close. She might very well awaken before this was over. But she needed to be aware. She needed to find out where the child was. Needing Priscilla alive, but beaten and bruised, made it even more difficult. She needed to know where Clare was, and this monster was it. Priscilla had to be subdued. Fighting while holding back is twice as difficult as fighting all out. Grimly, Teresa released more of her yoki. Anything, and everything, for Clare.

_Miria couldn't believe how Clare was hugging herself tightly, crying like there was no tomorrow, as if all the pain in the world was centered in her._ Why? What had happened? Why had Clare charged towards this battle? She knew about Clare's animosity towards Priscilla. But that was no cause for Clare to be in this condition.

"She – she kicked me and called me a f... a f... an effing nuisance", Clare wailed in Miria's arms.

Miria looked down blankly at Clare. What the hell was going on? "She?", she asked aloud.

"T- Te - Terrresa", Clare stammered out, sobbing even more uncontrollably.

"Who's Teresa?", Miria asked, even more confused. There ever was only one Teresa that Clare would talk abo... Miria whipped her head toward the battle as she remembered what Galatea had said about the strange hybrid's yoki. She could barely see the movements of the ongoing fight, but she could sense their yoki. Sure enough, if it weren't for Clare sobbing in her arms, she would swear that Clare was right there, fighting Priscilla. Putting two and two together, Miria nearly dropped Clare to the ground as an impossible realization came to her. Somehow, someway, after more than a decade, the organization had resurrected Teresa of the Faint Smile. Goosebumps travelled up her arms as the fine hairs began standing up, moving all the way, up, up to her neck and spiking her already spiky hair.

Miria clenched her arms tightly around Clare. There was nothing she, or anyone could do here. This... this Teresa, a true ghost, if you will, was fighting a battle that had been fought once before, a decade ago. This was a battle that had no meaning to them now, to the ghosts, and the current organization, now. There was... nothing that the organization, or the ghosts could do. Sadly, she would not be able to keep Clare out of this battle, for Clare was, very much a part of this one, no matter how meaningless it was now. Miria made a decision. A decision which, she knew, would keep Clare at the side of the ghosts. Besides, if there ever was a time to get rid of the foremost awakened being, then now was that time. "Galatea!", she bellowed, "we're helping the hybrid!"

Galatea, perhaps wisely knowing how Miria came to her decision, glanced at Clare sobbing in Miria's arms. Silently, she turned to the ghosts and unsheathed her claymore.

"_I don't understand what the fuck is going on, but those others are unsheathing their swords", Rachel informed Audrey fiercely of the situation._

Said warrior looked up and stared at the ghosts of 7 years past and bit her lip, confused as to what she should do next. Being number 3, Audrey was the highest save for Alicia and Beth. Since neither of the two were to be seen anywhere, it fell to her to command the warriors present. But, and it was a big but, she, and Rachel too, owed these warriors their lives, even if Rachel did not know it. Audrey knew that the ghosts were going to fight the awakened being. After all, wouldn't it be strange that they rescue her and Rachel, then murder them now anyway? But... How could she order the warriors present to fight the monstrous Priscilla. Strong as the mysterious warrior and the ghosts were, Priscilla was so much stronger. She should know. She once ran afoul of Riful, which was why she had to be saved by the ghosts. If they fought Priscilla, most of them would die. What would she tell the organization, especially when they were given strict orders only to observe? Especially if all the current single rankers died? Besides, Riful had nearly made her cry. She didn't want to experience that again. She wasn't even in the fight, but her knees were already shaking. But still, Audrey hesitated, as she saw the ghosts charge to help the mysterious hybrid, who had exploded the organization's bedrock, running so fast to get here. Sighing in defeat, Audrey unsheathed her claymore. She could not dishonor the help that she and Rachel had gotten from the ghosts. Resigned and fearful, she turned to Rachel. "We are fighting Priscilla."

"Are you out of your fucking mind!", Rachel growled, as warrior number 8, Dietrich, strolled into view.

After having said that, Audrey felt calm. Too bad Anastasia wasn't here. They could use her. Watching the battle a little bit, Audrey quickly analyzed it all, and gave out her orders. "We'll be stationing ourselves at the periphery of the battle. We will be acting as a net, to push Priscilla back towards the center."

Rachel muttered under her breath. "Do you even realize how hard it is for me to keep up with their movements? Yet you expect us to act like fly swatters? Who the fuck are they anyway?", she yelled.

Who the fuck indeed, Audrey thought silently. She didn't know who the strong warrior was, but she knew the others. Rachel deserved to know what she was getting into. "Those warriors in black are the seven missing warriors of Pieta. The other one is the runaway Galatea, former number 3. They saved us from Riful, remember?"

"Wha...!", Rachel sputtered. "How could you even begin to convince me to belie..."

"What she says is true", Dietrich interrupted Rachel's tirade. "Me and my team were just saved by two of their members against an awakened being."

Rachel fell silent, staring intently at Audrey and Dietrich, looking for the lie she could not find.

Audrey did not give Rachel time to speak. What Dietrich had said convinced her. "We can only do the best we can", she spoke to the warriors present, all single rankers, as the double digits still hadn't caught up. "Double up, and keep Priscilla within their range."

_Teresa watched, panting from the sidelines, as 8 warriors clad in black approached and attacked Priscilla from all directions, including the short-haired one she had kicked before._ She did not understand it. Why had her strength drained away so quickly? More importantly, she was anxious to get back in the battle. She knew the 8 warriors were not strong enough to fight Priscilla. The only reason Priscilla wasn't able to eviscerate them all instantly, was because there were too many of them. Damning the sudden and mysterious onset of fatigue, Teresa watched as warriors clad in uniform circled the battle ground, trying, and barely succeeding, to keep an eye on Priscilla. Strangely enough, none of the warriors looked familiar, and they were strong enough to be single digit rankers. The same could be said for the mysterious group clad in black. Except for Priscilla, there was seriously something wrong here. Above all that, her eyes were once again drawn to the short haired warrior. Her yoki was her yoki. Perhaps it was time to get to the bottom of this. The spiky haired warrior and the pretty long haired one, as well as the kid, were doing fine on their own. They could do without the strong short haired one for a little bit. With kidnapping in mind, Teresa snuck into the battlefield, quickly disabled the shorthaired warrior, and ran away to hide.

All the warriors involved in the battle saw what had happened, but they couldn't run after the two because turning their backs on Priscilla meant certain death. Miria snarled loudly, hoping that Clare would come to her senses quickly enough and do something.

_Claire blinked her eyes open._ The last thing she remembered, she was fighting Priscilla. This was why she was very surprised to see Teresa's face above her, scowling very fiercely. Clare's heart beat faster, in addition to being happy to see Teresa, that face scared her now when it didn't before. In the distance were thunderous booms, claps and cracks as a desperate battle unfolded.

"Who are you?", Teresa snarled out viciously, tightly grasping the neck of her tunic that she could scarcely breathe.

Against her will, Clare's eyes filled with tears once again as she struggled to find the words to calm and comfort Teresa, who was miraculously alive in front of her, and choking her too.

"Your tears be damned! Damnit! I don't remember the organization giving lessons in crying!", Teresa yelled angrily, feeling like a bully. "Who the fuck are you!"

"C- clare", she managed to stutter out, then found herself shaken even more violently.

"I hope by whatever's holy that your name really is Clare, because if it's not, I'm gonna...", Teresa was interrupted as the girl she was shaking began laughing and crying at the same time.

"I – I'm really Clare... and y- you are Teresa", Clare declared, crying now, more than she was laughing.

Slowly, haltingly, Clare told Teresa of what had transpired all those years ago, when Priscilla had managed to behead her beloved Teresa. Of how she had taken Teresa's head and asked to be turned into a warrior.

"There's more to it, Teresa, but my friends are fighting and they need me", Clare told the beautiful, but stunned warrior in front of her. A warrior whom she had loved, and still did, up to this time. With her feelings overflowing, Clare cried loudly and encircled Teresa tightly in her arms, all the while saying how it was good to have her back. "I – I know that you want more explanations but I need to help them."

Teresa looked down at her unblemished forearms and felt her neck for any signs of the wounds this Clare had spoken about. There were none. But what would account for her yoki being in this girl? What was real? What was not? Teresa was startled out of her reverie when the girl struggled out of her arms.

"I'm sorry Teresa, I want to stay, but I need to help my friends", Clare declared. Teresa, too stunned to speak, much less object, just stared at the supposed Clare's departing back.

_What the hell? Does she honestly expect me to believe that story?_, Teresa asked herself. But if it was true, and that really was Clare... she was heading out to fight Priscilla, again. Hastily getting to her feet, Teresa charged back to the battle she had left behind. She didn't need Priscilla anymore to get to the truth of the matter. She could go all out. Strangely enough, she felt rejuvenated with the thought of slicing Priscilla to pieces.

_Priscilla had been angered when the 2 Teresas had fled_. She wanted to go after them, but was kept busy by the other warriors who were fighting her. Now, the two Teresas were coming back; but only one of them was very strong. This strong Teresa was not as strong as herself, but she felt fear anyway. Teresa was one of those people who could make you afraid just by looking. But she was stronger. She would kill the murderer again and again, and keep the humans safe. Eagerly, Priscilla turned to the huge burst of yoki that came from the strong Teresa. It was time for them to die.

Galatea sensed, rather than saw, Claire and the other warrior come back. She was almost tempted to call the other one as Clare too, but she knew that the real Clare was very much weaker than the other warrior. If that warrior really was Teresa of the Faint Smile, and with the yoki that was pouring out of her, they had no business being in this battle. It didn't surprise her when she heard Miria order the ghosts to fall back, leaving Priscilla and Teresa fighting it out alone. Clare moved away almost reluctantly. She knew she was outmatched here, but she could hardly leave Teresa alone. Then again, she did remember Teresa calling her a f... a f..., an effing nuisance.

At their fall back point, Miria turned to Clare curiously. "So...", she began, "is that really Teresa of the Faint Smile?" The rest of the ghosts looked on in astonishment as they heard the legendary warrior's name.

"What the-? Are you crazy Miria? Why would a dead warrior be alive and fighting?", Helen asked abrasively.

Clare looked on worriedly, intent on the battle happening in front of her. She was tense, ready to jump in should Teresa need help.

"Clare, damnit!", Miria pounded the short haired warrior's shoulder, even as she ignored Helen's caustic remark. Miria needed facts, and she needed them yesterday. "Is that Teresa of the Faint Smile?", she repeated through clenched teeth.

Clare nodded anxiously, not wanting to move her eyes away from the battle, unaware of Miria's rising temper.

Softly, Galatea laid a hand on Miria's shoulder and shook her head. "Explanations later", the blind woman told the spiky haired warrior.

Well, she had confirmation that it was Teresa of the Faint Smile. She supposed, like Galatea said, explanations could come later. But right now, she was being left to wonder, uncomfortably at that, as to what the organization would cook up next. Even with the battle of titanic proportions that was happening before her very eyes, Miria was left to worry about other things. Damn it to hell, was all she could come up with.

Like the ghosts, the warriors of the organization had retreated to the opposite side of the circular battleground, staring with fear and awe as the awakened being and the mysterious warrior unleashed their full potential on each other. It was, to Audrey's mind, utterly senseless. The yoki was off the scale. They could not even see any movement now. It was insane, and they were right in the middle of it. If it were up to her, she would have ordered her fellow warriors to retreat all the way back to the organization, but she was pretty sure that the organization would like a report on who would win this battle. Not that they knew who the mysterious warrior was. But Audrey had a hunch that the organization did know. Making a decision worthy of a leader without fear, she ordered the rest of the warriors to return, leaving only her and Dietrich behind.

Rachel had vigorously protested of course. Her and Rachel were almost always together. But she had questions for Dietrich. "So tell me about this awakened being they helped you kill", Audrey began her subtle questioning.

_And that is that. 5k words for this one shot. I didn't leave it hanging. In my mind, Teresa wins this battle. But whether she kills Priscilla or not, I leave up to your imagination. Like I said, there are so many plotlines that can be pursued within this chapter. However, I am keeping this a one shot. If any credible writer wants to continue this and turn it into a full story, send me a private message. I will read some of your writings and, if I find you better than myself, then I will gladly pass the torch along to you. I know that some of you may privately moan and complain about my ending the story at this point, but I have other, more important things to do; like helping scanlate some of the manga you may be reading. Until next time, and please review._


	3. Irene and Teresa

_Before I begin, I just have to mention this, because it is indirectly related to this fic. Kuroui posted a review about the last chapter, and it goes like this: "_OMFG! Dang, keep writing, I want to know what happens next. Will Irene appear? Please let Irene appear. Put Irene in this! *squealing like a little girl*" _I just had to laugh so hard because I had already started this chapter and its all about Irene and Teresa. Just not in the way you think. So Kuroui, here's Irene for you. Readers, please read Kuroui's works too._

_I have always been interested in the relationship between Teresa of the Faint Smile and Quicksword Irene. But while most fanfiction authors depict them as friends/lovers then bitter rivals then friends/lovers again, I lean towards taking the cynical view that Irene is hard-pressed to keep up with Teresa, and is thus, ever bitter because of it. I am, in no way implying, that Irene is as obsessive as, Rosemary or even Teresa herself, when it comes to her ranking. I am just saying that Irene always measures herself against impossible odds, and because of that, always comes up lacking, in her own estimation. This, I think, would be the cause for Irene's bitterness. Er... I forget the former number one before Teresa. I hope it really is Rosemary._

Irene watched intently as the new number 1 warrior single-handedly fought off a furious assault by an awakened being. Her name was Teresa. She was very good, her grace in combat underlying an intangible strength, which was obfuscated by her tall, lithe body and beautiful face. By now, Irene herself would have been using yoki to defeat the awakened being. Even Rosemary, the former number one, would have likewise unleashed her own yoki. But not this one. She was strong. Stronger even, for all the signs of imminent defeat were present for the awakened being, while she, Teresa herself, had not even unleashed one single flow of yoki. In fact, Teresa kept her yoki tightly leashed, making it almost unreadable to the number three warrior; almost, but not quite. She had felt it enough. Irene kept it in her memory. Just so that she would know what to look for, in case she had to find her in future.

In truth, this was Teresa's final test as the new top ranker. After divesting Rosemary of her rank, Teresa was tasked to slay an awakened being single-handedly; and not just any awakened being at that. The organization had handpicked this awakened being for Teresa's test, a test that Rosemary had almost failed. A test, which she herself, would most certainly fail. At number three, Irene could possibly make it to number two, but she lacked that final reserve of power which would push her over the line to number one. Not that she wanted to be; but it would have been a confirmation of her strength, which was, by no means weak, if she had somehow managed to attain the top position in the organization. Two generations of warriors had passed now, and yet she was third, still. Somewhere deep down, it hurt where it counted most. It was not logical, but it made her bitter just the same.

Irene's reverie was broken by Orsay, Teresa's handler, who had stood up rather noisily, the moment Teresa slew the awakened being. "You have done more than what was expected of you, Teresa", Orsay congratulated the new number one, as he eyed the thoroughly mangled and chopped body of the now dead awakened being. "Its a shame that we didn't get to measure the strength of your yoki, but the way you fight reminds me of Rafaela."

Teresa stood silently, not bothering to reply as she met Orsay's gaze disdainfully. Already, Irene could see several problems arising from the new number one, foremost among them, a disregard for authority. Then again, it was just something that single digits were expected to have. Conceit. They were single digits after all. But there was more of that now in Teresa than there ever was with Irene. Only, Rosemary had been more conceited about it. Perhaps, she should rephrase that. Rosemary's conceit broke the borders, crossing the line into arrogance and beyond. The humility that Teresa forced on Rosemary should serve as a lesson to everyone, if the former number one ever did learn her lessons.

Teresa removed her gaze from Orsay and settled on Irene. "You will be number two soon, I think", Teresa spoke to her. "Quicksword Irene... I have been studying your technique", Teresa surprised her with that revelation. "I learn all techniques that single digits have, just to keep in practice", she said, with a faint smile curling her lips. "You can come to challenge me anytime, if you think you can do better than me", Teresa declared haughtily.

Irene gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, trying to hold back her rage. _How dare that bitch! It took her years to create and master the quicksword, and she implies that she's better?_

The angel-faced slut (at least, that's how Irene thought of her), just laughed as she watched Irene struggle for control, which made Irene angrier, which made Teresa laugh even harder.

Irene snapped. Without any warning, without even unsheathing her claymore, Irene unleashed a series of quick, powerful slashes powered by her yoki. She was almost grinning in anticipation as she waited for Teresa to struggle. Rosemary had a very difficult time against her quicksword. She was fairly certain Teresa would be no different.

It was a surprise to her when a wide, predatory smile appeared on Teresa's face. Without having to draw her sword, Teresa had likewise, unleashed a torrent of slashes to rival, but not quite match, her own quicksword. It was not an even match, but it was enough to neutralize her and render her attack useless.

Irene withdrew her quicksword, the contest over, even as it had just began. _How, _she thought to herself. _How could she almost match me?_ She looked up at Teresa's face and found the warrior glaring at her furiously.

"Just don't follow in Rosemary's footsteps, and everything will be fine between us", Teresa said angrily as she drew a black card with Rosemary's symbol on it.

Irene gaped in surprise.

_Was this one shot pointless? Maybe. But it established another basis for rivalry between Teresa and Irene. That fight scene also implies a warning from Teresa to Irene; especially when Teresa pulled out Rosemary's black card. If you read between the lines, you will realize that the this story has more substance than you think. As for Teresa's behavior, she is young at this point, and has a lot to prove._

_Once again, I ask you to review. I know you are reading. I can see the story stats. You're just not reviewing. Your reviews keep me company on these cold, stormy nights. If at all possible, I would like to have the privilege of replying to your reviews privately. A signed review would be most appreciated. All you have to do is log in to your account. Thank you and see you next chapter._

_Edit: I have decided to end this series of one shots here. I would like to write a full story about Teresa and the rest of the warriors. I have some ideas in my head, but I have yet to sort them out and produce an outline. If it does get written, it shall be posted here.  
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